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Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that a formal investigation has begun into the crash of a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border that killed 20 service members.
“At 6:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), in coordination with Georgian authorities, the search and rescue and accident investigation team began its investigation of the wreckage,” the ministry said in a statement.
The C-130 transport aircraft was carrying 20 personnel when it crashed on Tuesday shortly after taking off from Azerbaijan en route to Türkiye. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
The ministry confirmed that all 20 people aboard were killed. The names of the fallen service members were released Wednesday, and Defense Minister Yasar Guler issued a condolence message, calling them “our heroic comrades” and offering sympathies to their families.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held separate phone calls with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday to coordinate recovery and investigative efforts.
Meanwhile, several countries and leaders from around the world voiced solidarity with Türkiye after the crash.
The crash marks one of the deadliest incidents in recent memory involving Türkiye’s military aviation.
Officials have not disclosed any preliminary findings, and the Defense Ministry said the probe will continue in coordination with Georgian authorities “to uncover the full circumstances of the accident.”
Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
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